At the Lair, “Greet” is more than a check-in process; it’s the cold open to the best episode of the summer. Think hotel check-in—but swap the desk for the forest floor and the bellhop for a group of college-student-staffers, cheering you in.
Getting the Lay of the Land
New campers are introduced to their camp through a New Camper Tour. It’s a walk through the facilities and programs, a gentle ease into the rhythm of camp life.
Samantha Game, one of the staffers who leads the tours, walks through all the places where laughter and memories unfurl into the mountain air, weaving in friendly introductions to the staffers along the way.
“I want campers to see that these are the people who will be taking care of them,” she said, “people who love the Lair and want them to love it too.”
Samantha, who goes by the nickname “Gamer” among campers and fellow staff, also tries to get a sense of what activities new campers might be interested in. Love strutting down dirt roads? The Nature Meeting is at 10 a.m., she’d say. Itching to meet people while running around under the sun? Try the Camper vs. Staff Softball Game.
Ben Isola also leads the New Camper Tour; you can call him “Cody.” He makes a point to highlight the areas where kids hang out at the Lair, and to explain the camp’s safety features. “Even though we’re in the middle of the mountains, there’s a direct line to help just in case,” he said.
The tour is part logistics, part cultural orientation, and entirely about helping new campers feel at home, he told me.
Getting Your Bearings
For new campers, integrating into the Lair community tends to spark both excitement and nerves. “You’re out in the woods, surrounded by all these people with a tradition of coming here for years. It can be kind of daunting,” Gamer said.
The folks on the New Camper Tour come with varying levels of familiarity with the Lair. Some are tipped off by friends or neighbors who are longtime campers. Others come in completely blind with no idea what to expect.
Gamer told me about one such family. The young son was hesitant at first, but soon he was having a good time and making friends, she said. “The kids never fail to adjust. That’s the thing about the Lair—it finds a place for everybody.”
Cody thinks the key to an extraordinary Lair experience lies in embracing the camp’s quirks. When he led the New Camper Tour, he addressed the songs and rituals head-on, often with humor. “Yeah, yeah, this is a cult,” he’d joke to new campers, breaking the ice.
It’s this playful approach that helps first-time campers dive into what he calls the “giant friendly culture” of the Lair. “It’s kind of impossible to explain,” he said. “It’s an atmosphere that you have to just jump into with both feet.”
And while the traditions are a big draw, Cody sees the magic of the Lair most clearly in the relationships it fosters. When you’re with someone for a week in the woods, you’re bound to end up loving them, he said.
Getting Your Paws Dirty
Every week at the Lair has its own flair—from themed cocktail parties to traditions like Bear to Breakers, a fun run starting at Camp Blue and ending at Pinecrest Lake.
New campers, says Camp Gold Manager Nicole Anacker, have the opportunity to start traditions of their own. Maybe it’s a skit in the Golden Revue that becomes a staple for the next twenty years. Or maybe it’s a new conversation, a new connection. The Lair isn’t about staying in your lane—it’s about finding new possibilities.
“It’s a pretty easy culture to get involved with,” Cody said. “We’re all singing, you know, Cal songs.”
New campers might arrive a little wide-eyed, unsure of what to expect, but by the time the slideshow plays in the Lodge on Friday night, they’re in on the joke, part of the cult, singing “Hail to California” with the same gusto as the old-timers, ready to come back next year.
The Lair is a place where networks grow, traditions deepen, and new campers are welcomed not as outsiders but as part of a breathing, evolving community.
Adding people and perspectives to the weave of the Lair is what keeps the place vibrant, Gamer said. Every cornerstone of camp’s charm started somewhere, sometime, and with someone. After all, the Rock Paper Scissors Tournament didn’t fall from the sky. Each camper has the chance to add their spin on things, to shape what’s next.
Still on the fence about whether to find yourself at the Lair for the first time this summer? Take the leap. You’ll be at home in the forest before you know it.
